1600 Pennsylvinia Avenue
by PrettyinPinkNikki21
Summary: What happens when the Harts move to Washington?
1. Swift Changes

The announcement come through the Associate Press, it was a breaking story

"President Elect Hart shot at rally in Virginia moments ago , Injury count unknown, condition of the President is unknown as well." The story broke to outside a convention hall where it seemed like thousands had gathered for the well liked President but now utter chaos was happening.

Jennifer had been at the White House, taking care of their infant daughters when the news flashed and she was sure at that moment, that if she opened her mouth and screamed, Secret Service would crash the residency.

Instead she sat down on the floor and cried.

SIX MONTHS EARLIER 

When Jonathan had come to her and said that a committee had been formed and that they'd come to him asking him to run on the ticket, Jonathan had said he wouldn't run unless Jennifer agreed and with the impending arrivals of their twin girls, he wasn't sure if she'd agree, He'd never had any political ambitions but this time, Jonathan felt like he could actually make a difference and with the recent scandal involving President Fitz resignation over a sex scandal with his PR person, Olivia Pope, He was a shoo-in.

Except he never imagined how grueling campaigning was, normally he was relaxed and calm during meetings but he was so tense and exhausted he found his fuse had gotten shorter and shorter and a few times had to check himself before losing his mind.

But as exhausted he was, he found himself excited for each stop and a chance to show that an orphan kid could make something of himself, first as a businessman then as a Presidential Candidate.

Jennifer knew that to be a candidate was a dream come true and as a potential first lady, she was excited for this change, although she was nervous about the scrutiny that would come with her role, she never took it too seriously because in the end, the only opinion that mattered was her husband's.

Being on the campaign trail while she was pregnant was far from idyllic, she was cautious that jostling from the crowds would harm them and that she'd be so sick, she wouldn't be able to join her husband at key moments but somehow she prevailed and managed to make it except for one incident outside of Idaho, she was supposed to introduce Jonathan at a rally for farmers and instead took off into a corn field where she threw up what little breakfast she'd had all over her Chanel pantsuit, luckily the press was so focused on Jonathan that they failed to notice the future first Lady on her knees with tears streaming down her face.

After that, she made sure that whatever was scheduled, to have a backup.

Although She'd found out that the babies were girls early on, when the Press would ask whether or not what the babies were, she'd smile coyly and say all she wanted was healthy babies and as for names, if one of them happened to be a boy, Max and even if It wasn't, Max would still be a middle name for their girl.

As the first children born in the White House since the Kennedy Administration, special attention was focused on them which made Jennifer very uncomfortable and as a condition of his running, Made Jonathan promise that no photos would be released without their permission; these were their children and not the world's.

The Guidelines would be clear and one of the key guidelines was that no one would be allowed into the residence at all. That would be the only time they'd get privacy and she didn't care who didn't like it.

The night before the Election, Jonathan's nervousness got the best of him and he paced for hours among the volunteers and even a few shots of Brandy didn't calm him, Finally Jennifer slipped a sedative into his drink and took him upstairs to their hotel room.

While he was passed out, Jennifer watched the results from their room, knowing that if he lost, it would crush him completely but how could he lose? He was the perfect candidate.

At Dawn the next morning, she crawled in beside him

"Darling," She whispered "Darling"

He wasn't responding

"Mr. President!" She whispered into his ear, he began to wake up thinking that she was up for a Marilyn and JFK fantasy when he realized what she was saying

"I won?" He whispered

"You did!"

"No I didn't"

"What do you mean" She was confused

"We did it together"

"I can't believe I'm sleeping with the leader of the free world!" She giggled

"Well, First Lady, how about we have our Inauguration?" He rolled over, cautious of her belly and just as he was kissing her neck, someone began pounding on their hotel door "Was that you or the babies?"

"I think we have company" She scrambled to cover up before the President's Deputy, Cyrus, burst in on them

"Do you think we'll be alone ever again?"

"I hope so"

"Mr. President" Cyrus called from behind the door, "We have a busy day ahead of us"

"Just a second," Jonathan called pulling up his pajama bottoms "This won't change us, right"

Jennifer nodded, uncertain.

"Mrs. Hart, we have to get you into wardrobe," Jennifer's new assistant, Margaret was behind Cyrus

"Here we go" Jennifer climbed out of bed.


	2. Sworn In

PRESENT DAY 

The West Wing of the White House was in chaos, the deputies were trying to find out the casualty level while the Press was waiting, practically drooling over whether or not the New First Lady would make a comment or if she was even still in the Residence.

The interns were scrambling on the phone to call back the Senior Staff who'd left for the night, those who weren't in the White House had gone with the President to the Rally and no one seemed to be picking up their cell phones.

Upstairs in the Residence, Jennifer was having a panic attack, no one was telling her if Jonathan was alright and the Head of her Detail, Mike, was trying to get her into Air Force one to go to the secret Location because he was afraid she was a target

"Mrs. Hart, we've got to get you and the babies en-route to the shelter, The President would insist!" Mike said impatiently

"No, I'm not going anywhere unless it's to the Hospital to visit my husband!" Jennifer was trying to bundle up one of the babies

"I can't bring you there, we don't have any information yet and even if we did, It's not procedure!"

"Screw Procedure, this isn't about the President anymore, this is my husband!" Jennifer put the baby into her carrier

Mike realized she wasn't going to budge so he spoken into his mic "Change of Plans, Liberty Bell and the Jr. Mints are going to GW"

"Thank you, Mike" Jennifer sighed with relief and reached for the other baby

Mike didn't hear her, he was listening to his Mic quietly, "Wait, An update is coming in" …

SIX MONTHS AGO 

The day before the Inauguration, It was moving day for the new President and His First Lady, who was sad that the thought of leaving the place she'd called home for so long and kept going back into the house to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, Finally Jonathan had to put her into the waiting car and held her hand all the way to the airport.

After Arriving at Andrews Air force base, they were greeted by the US Naval Academy Cadets and Cyrus, who looked like he'd been sleeping in his clothes since election night

"Welcome to Washington, Mr. President, Ma'am"

"Hey thanks Cyrus, boy, this is great isn't it," Jonathan was never one for pomp and circumstance but he was still impressed. "Darling, aren't you excited?!"

She tried to smile but inside she was nervous, this whole change was becoming a bit too much and As the day went on, her nerves would become bigger and bigger.

Getting into the Motorcade with them as well as Cyrus was the Press Secretary, CJ and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh

"Good Morning, Mr. President" They said in unison but Jonathan was scoping out the car like he was a little kid all over again

"We have your schedules for the day" CJ handed Jennifer a list, they seemed to have packed a 12 hour day into six, every moment was planned out

"Are we going to have time for a rest because we've been traveling all day?" Jennifer was already exhausted

"I'm sorry Ma'am, there's a lot to be done before the Inauguration tomorrow and we need to make the most of the news cycle"

"Well, you need to find some time because I'm pregnant and I need to be able to have a break" She didn't want to come off as sounding like a bitch but sometimes in order to get your point across, you need to say something cross.

"Of course Ma'am," CJ realized that they were overdoing it, It was too much too soon

"Mr. President, once you get into the West Wing, you'll need to have a security briefing with the Joint Chiefs as well as an introductory meeting with the Cabinet," Josh said studying the new President, he knew that Jonathan was going to be great, he just needed to make sure that Jonathan wasn't going to crumble at the first sign of trouble

"Can we get into the Oval before we hit the ground running?" Jonathan said taking Jennifer's hand

"Of Course, Sir"

They pulled up to the White House where the press had gathered, Getting out of the car and realizing that this wasn't a dream, Jennifer felt the babies move in reassurance and comfort.

Together, they waved and turned to walk in to their new home

"Wow, I didn't this would look so.." Jennifer trailed off staring up

"Off with their heads?!" Jonathan finished for her

"Exactly"

Most of their personal belongings had been delivered over the past few days as well as Freeway, leaving him behind in California would have been too cruel

As a tradition, The former First Lady would give the New First Lady a tour of the White House, what to expect and who to go to when she would need something, little trade secrets and at Jennifer's tour, Mellie Grant seemed to be a million miles away.

Which was expected since Her Husband was currently shacked up in a Vermont Cabin with one of Washington's most revered woman in power, Olivia Pope

"Mellie, Are you sure you want to do this now?" Jennifer asked outside the china room

"If not now, when?" Mellie said sadly, all her scheming and pushing Fitz forward had backfired in a big way, she'd be lucky to make it out of Washington without Federal Marshalls guiding

As it was, for her fixing the election was going to get her summoned in front of the Judicial Committee for ethics violations

"If you ever need anyone, please call me" Jennifer knew that Mellie was a powerhouse but in this time, she looked like she could use a friend

"I will, I know Jonathan will do good things but make sure that whatever happens here, you keep what you had before" Mellie said before soberly continuing her tour

Going into the Residency for the first time was like moving into their first apartment together, boxes everywhere but as soon as they opened the door, Freeway came tearing out

"Hi Baby, did you miss us?!" Jennifer tried to get down on the floor to play with him but her belly made it hard "I missed you so much, so what do you think of the place?, Much different than back home?!" Freeway tried to lick her face

"Darling" Jonathan said after scratching Freeway's belly, "I've got to go downstairs, are you going to be alright?"

She nodded, knowing he was eager to get started on his new job "I'll get settled here and then maybe stop by to see your new digs"

He kissed her and left.

Although she was in a building surrounded by people, she suddenly felt very alone.

Inauguration Day 

Dressing for An Inauguration was something Jennifer never expected to do in her life, especially in January and especially pregnant, she had find a wool dress and a heavy jacket plus shoes that wouldn't get soaked in the fallen snow, as someone who's wardrobe consisted of cotton dresses and sandals, this was definitely another thing she'd have to get used to.

The morning rushed by and Jonathan was going over his speech when she asked to see him for a few minutes, the rest of the day would be taken up with interviews and getting ready for the eight balls they were expected to attend.

"We're not going to have a private moment so I just want to say how proud I am of you, you deserve this!" She adjusted his tie "Max would be so happy for you"

"I miss him, but I have a little piece of him with me" Jonathan smiled pulling her forward

"You do?!" She kissed his nose

He pushed her back a little to reach into his pocket and pulled out one of Max's favorite cigars, she laughed sadly knowing Max would be over the moon to be standing there with them.

"Mr. President, we have to go" Josh poked his head into the room they were standing in

"Alright, we'll do mushy later, go out there and do your thing; we'll celebrate in a big way tonight!" She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him hard, He turned to leave but not before smacking her behind and smiling

"Mrs. Hart, I'll escort you to your seat now," a young guy, whose name she didn't catch took her arm and led her to a row of seats, she sat down next to Cyrus and behind her was the Vice President Bob Mackenzie with his wife Marilyn

Jonathan stood in front of the podium and when he caught her eye, he winked and the Judge pulled out the same bible President Lincoln used, Jonathan placed his hand on the bible and raised his other

"Please repeat after me, I Jonathan Charles Hart"

"I, Jonathan Charles Hart"

"I do solemnly swear (that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

" I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States"

"You are now the President of The United States, Congratulations"

Jennifer wanted to jump up and down with excitement but knowing that all eyes were on her.

Jonathan reached into his jacket pocket for his glasses but realized he couldn't reach them, panicked slightly and Jennifer knew instantly what the problem was, luckily she'd grabbed his spare glasses and stood up to hug him and slip his glasses to him

She moved quickly but it was too late, he began speaking about his hope and dreams for the future, about what he expected to accomplish and what he expected the American people to do as well and that together, they could rise above whatever had happened in the past was to be forgotten. That the future belongs to The Next Generation and He looked forward to passing on a wonderful new place for his daughters to grow up in.

He spoke for another 20 minutes before concluding to an ovation and although she'd seen him happy before, she had never seen him smile so big, his dimples reached to the back of his ears.

Later, his speech would be considered the most inspirational next to JFK's Ask not what your country could do speech.

When it was over and Jennifer knew he was completely frozen through, he turned to her, reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet and kissed her long and hard.

That moment would be consistently replayed in the news.

That Night, Jonathan waited for his wife to finish dressing, still coming off the High of his Inauguration, he nervously tied and retied his tie.

"I'm almost ready!" She called from the bathroom

"Take your time," He said

"Condensation won't make me move faster" She was frustrated, her dress was supposed to take away from her bump but it seemed to be emphasizing it, she'd chosen a black sleeveless dress with a white bow in the back, it flowed out to the back like a fishtail, it was long but not long enough she'd trip and possibly hurt herself.

"Darling, I'm not condescending you, I stopped trying to get you out the door on time back in the 80s but do keep in mind, we have over 700 guests downstairs waiting."

"Just one more second" Her cowlick was making her nuts and she knew if she didn't stop, she'd be fussing with it all night. "Alright let's go"

He stopped fussing and when she stood in the doorway, he wolfed whistle at her "You are beautiful, how did I manage not to knock you up before?!"

"Just lucky I guess," She smiled and took the tie out of his hands, moving quickly she tied it for him

"I hate to share you with the world, Can't we just stay here tonight?"

"Oh No, I didn't squeeze myself into this dress to impress the secret service but if your good, you can unwrap me later" She checked herself in the mirror and walked out the door

"Best Present Ever!" He called after her.


	3. The Business of being Born

Present Day 

Mike had left so quickly without a word and Jennifer knew that something was wrong, she was tired of being left in the dark and if she had to, she'd take the girls in whatever car she could find and go herself, it didn't matter if she was breaking procedure. She could feel Jonathan's pain and knew he needed her as well.

She was searching for her purse when someone knocked on the door

"Ma'am, there's someone to see you" Margaret opened the door and Monsignor Dominic from the Church they'd gone to over the past few weeks and gotten friendly with came in

Jennifer looked at him and started to scream, If the Monsignor was there, Jonathan must be dead and they had sent him in to tell her.

"Mrs. Hart, calm down" The Monsignor

"He can't be dead!" She half sobbed, half screamed and collapsed into the Monsignor's arms "He just can't!"

"He's not dead!"

Jennifer stopped struggling in his arms and realized his words "He's not?!"

"No, I don't know his condition but I know he's alive, I came to offer you some comfort"

"I need a ride to the hospital, can you help me?!"

"I'm sorry, but you have to stay put until the Secret Service can tell you to leave but I can offer you spiritual guidance"

Jennifer nodded, just as one of the babies started to cry and then the other,

She looked helpless, how could she take care of them on her own if she had to?, She knew that Jonathan would tell her that she needed to pull herself together and to make sure their girls were taken care of.

FIRST OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE INTERVIEW

Jonathan's first few weeks in Office were hectic, trying to establish a cabinet and appoint specific leaders and creating contacts with other world leaders, his days were long and exhausting but when he came upstairs, he'd make sure that he never brought his work into their home, some nights he'd try to make love to her but couldn't keep his eyes open.

Some days, he would be pumped up and she would be asleep but when he'd start kissing her neck, she'd wake up and they would make love.

One Night, they were making love rather loudly and didn't hear the door open, the sheet was over their heads and she was giggling because he was blowing raspberries on her belly when suddenly another voice was in the room

"Mr. President" Cyrus called

"Don't say a word, maybe he won't hear us" Jonathan whispered

"Mr. President, there's a situation" Cyrus called

"There's going to be a situation if you don't get him out of here!" Jennifer whispered

"Cyrus, I'll be downstairs in a minute"

"Of course, Sir" Cyrus left the room and they burst into laughter

"If he'd gotten here five minutes earlier" Jonathan said gulping in between laughs

"We really need to set up some sort of code just in case" Jennifer kissing his chest "I wish you didn't have to go"

"Me either" he kissed her lips one more time and got up "I'll try to hurry back"

She knew he wouldn't instead she got up and took a shower and fell asleep reading a baby book

THE FIRST OFFICIAL INTERVIEW

The Big Television Interview would be downstairs in one of the sitting rooms with Diane Sawyer asking the questions

As a professional Journalist herself, Jennifer asked to have the questions beforehand so she wouldn't be blindsided and was glad she did because some of them were too personal.

After hair and makeup, she put on a pair of black pants and red shirt and waited for Jonathan.

According to his assistant Charlie, he was on the phone with the Premiere of China and would catch up with her soon.

Diane Sawyer decided she needed some action shots so she asked if the First Lady would take them on a tour of their residence.

Jennifer brought them upstairs to the babies' nursery where they setup some shots, The painters had left the day before after, the formerly blue room was pink and waiting to be filled with furniture

"How have the first few weeks as the First Lady been, you've certainly had to make some adjustments" Diane asked looking around the room

"It's different, I've never been a person who's had a Staff before and suddenly it's like everyone trying to get at you at once" She was nervous and it was evident

"In just a few weeks, you'll be welcome two new babies and your husband, the President has revealed they will be girls, do you have any names picked out"

"Yes, we have a list but we'll meet them before we decide which baby is which" Jennifer knew that if she revealed their names, she wouldn't be able to control who took the information and ran with it

"Why after so many childless years together, did you decide to get pregnant, was it to boost your husband's presidential numbers?" Diane was pushing the envelope

"No, We had been trying for a while and my husband's campaign just happened to coincide"

"Do you think it will be hard to raise children in the White house?'

"No I think as long as you are organized and are prepared for the unexpected, it should be like raising a baby or babies anywhere else"

"As a first time mother and First Lady as well as a journalist, is it going to be difficult to do all three" Diane asked

"No because I know what needs to be prioritized and I have a really good partner to help me" Jennifer was tired already and they were barely into it

"Are you worried that the President won't be able to split his focus?"

"No absolutely not, He's very good at his job" Her face felt very hot and her breathing became heavy

Suddenly the room started to spin and Jennifer dropped

"Oh my god, someone get help!" Diane screamed

Down in the Oval Office, Jonathan was still on the phone when his assistant, Charlie ran in

"Mr. President, there's trouble upstairs!"

"I gotta go, I'll call you back!" Jonathan slammed the phone down and ran with Charlie followed by the Secret Service upstairs to the residence where Jennifer was being helped up by one of the camera crew guys "What happened?

"I don't know, sir" Another Crew membered answered

"I'm alright," Jennifer waved them off, feeling embarrassed

"Darling, I think we need to cut this interview short and let the Doctor examine you"

"I'm fine, really"

"Ma'am, you should really be looked at" Margaret was concerned as well

Jennifer realized that if she didn't at least consent to the doctor examining her, she'd never get any peace and her concern over the condition of her babies as well

A doctor was summoned and he performed a quick exam, and then called Jonathan into their bedroom

"Mr. President, It appears that your wife just simply passed out due to lack of oxygen, one of the babies was pressed against her lung and caused the blackout"

"Are they all right?" Jonathan would give up his role as commander if it meant getting Jennifer and the babies healthy

"They'll be just fine. The first lady just needs to spend a few days in bed"

"Thank you" Jonathan blew out a breath in relief

He went over to her in the bed she was laying down with tears in her eyes

"Darling," He took her hand

"I'm fine really," She choked out "I just figured it was a way to get you up here before midnight"

"Stop being brave for my sake," He knew that the transition had been difficult for her

"Oh Jonathan" She crumbled and cried, for everything

He waited until she was done crying and kissed her, "Go to Sleep, for my daughters sake" he pushed her back into the pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin

He worried the rest of the night whether or not he'd made the right decision for their family coming to DC

STATE OF THE UNION

After Jennifer's collapse, she seemed to slow down while Jonathan picked up momentum, He had to settle deals in Spain, Portugal and France in a span of just a few weeks, she was often disappointed that he was gone but understood it came with the territory.

Every homecoming was special, She would check Charlie's schedule and find out when Jonathan was arriving, she made sure a special dinner was sent up and she would change into a special outfit.

After a particular long trip to Turkey, She knew he wouldn't be back until after 1am, Dinner was arranged and She was slipping out of the shower when she heard him call for her

"Darling, are you in?"

"Yes, I'll be right out!" She squeezed herself into a sexy bustier, knowing this would be the last time she'd be able to get into that and clip her hair back, she threw on her bathrobe leaving It open and walked out to find her husband

Standing with the Head of the Communications, Sam

Jonathan had his back to her so he didn't see her eyes widen but He saw Sam's drift over his shoulder

And Turned Around

"Uh," Jonathan didn't know what to say

Neither did Jennifer, who ran back into the bathroom

"I think that'll be all for tonight Mr. President," Sam said rushing out the door in embarrassment

"He's gone, you can come out now!" Jonathan said trying not to laugh

"You couldn't have warned me!" She knew she didn't have anything to be embarrassed about.

But still, she knew that this would get around the West Wing

"Like I'd know you'd come out dressed as the best little pregnant whorehouse of Texas!" He waited for her to come out of the bathroom and when she did, she had on her regular jammies "What happened to the bustier?!"

"The Bustier comes out when I get more advanced notice that someone is entering our private residence" She got into bed and pulled out a book

"That's a cold lesson" He said after a moment of stunned silence

The night before the First State of the Union, the Communications department was in full gearing, making sure Jonathan's speech was perfect and that his agenda was being represented.

After tonight, whatever came afterward would just be a bonus

Added to his nerves, the babies were due in the next few weeks and he wanted to make sure they were prepared for them as well.

The Nursery had been done while he'd been in Iceland, he'd come back to find his wife putting together the crib and when he said that they had people for that, She got angry and asked him Once the girls were born, did he plan on staffing out their childhoods as well?!

Her snapping came as a result of being sick of being pregnant and tired of only seeing her husband for a few hours every day before she knew what time he'd back and they would have total privacy

She missed California desperately

STATE OF THE UNION

They dressed together to go to the Capital building, He in his best Armani Suit with the tie from Max's closet and She in a black Chanel skirt with a white shirt, her feet so swollen that she had to wear ballet slippers.

All Day Long, she'd been having what she thought were stomach pains but as the day progressed, she realized it was the beginnings of labor and contractions.

Jennifer knew how important the State of the Union was and if she said anything to anyone, they would have to reschedule it and Jonathan would be disappointed

They got to the Capital, Before Jonathan left her to do go downstairs to give his speech, and He kissed her

"When this is over and there's a gap in the schedule, let's get away for a few days"

"Maybe," She knew it would be awhile before they'd get anywhere "You are going to do so great and I'm so proud of you"

"Couldn't have done it without you, Sassy" He smiled and left

As soon as Jonathan left her, she exhaled through the contraction that was going on in her body, they were getting closer and closer

"Ma'am" Charlie came into the room "Are you alright?"

"No I'm not" She finally admitted she was in trouble "But I will be"

Charlie took her to the balcony where other wives were sitting, along with The Vice President's wife

"Jennifer, how are you, Darlin" Marilyn McKenzie was a southern belle and one socialite who used her husband's vast wealth as if it were going out of style "You due to drop those heifers soon?"

"Sooner than you think" Jennifer muttered and watched as Jonathan entered the hall.

"Everyone please rise for the President of the United States!" a caller announced and the room erupted into thunderous applause, He stopped walking for a second and looked for her in the Balcony, when their eyes met, she blew him a kiss and he winked back at her.

He continued onto the front of the Capital to the podium where he nodded and began to address the country of what his plans included for the upcoming term

She managed to make it through his plans for education and improving the economy but couldn't sit still through his plan about ending the war and found herself trying to slide off the seat without screaming

"Darlin, are you alright?" Marilyn asked noticing her fidgeting

"No, I'm not I have to go now!" Jennifer stood up and nearly collapsed on her knees "Charlie!"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"It's baby time!" She said breathing through her nose

Charlie didn't ask any questions instead picked her up and carried her to the capital stairway, Margaret had noticed them leaving and followed them out

"Go Get Cyrus, tell him what's going on" Jennifer ordered Charlie, who looked like he didn't want to leave her "Please, I'll be fine"

Charlie took off

"Margaret, I need to get to a hospital now, Oh god!" She was doubled over at this point

Mike, her head of Security Service and never far behind her, had called ahead for the car and saw she couldn't walk

"Mrs. Hart!" Cyrus ran to her with Charlie behind him "Are you sure?!"

"Yes, I'm positive" Jennifer was sure the girls were going to walk out of her body at one point

Jonathan had noticed she wasn't in her seat and knew instantly that she'd gone into labor, his distraction was noticeable among the other delegates but he had to finish his speech and needed to concentrate

Cyrus had gone back out to the balcony to make sure the President was still on track and he noticed the fumbling

"Someone get a note to the President, tell him everything is alright" Cyrus ordered an intern

Mike hustled Jennifer into a waiting limo and when Jonathan received the note, he got back on track with his speech

"This is going to be a night no one will ever forget" Charlie remarked

At the Hospital waiting room, a group of nurses were watching the President when a limo screeched up and the secret service poured out

"What's going on?!" a nurse yelled

"The First Lady's gone into labor, we're going to need some help out here!" one of The Agents yelled back

A wheelchair was brought outside and Jennifer was pulled out of the car "Babies are coming now!" She nearly screamed

Another agent, Simon put her into the wheelchair and pushed her through the hospital waiting room, the rest of her agent detail tried to follow but the nurses detained them

"I don't care what you have to do, get my husband here now!" Jennifer had never been so much pain in her life

"Ma'am, He's almost finished!" Simon tried to reassure her

"Just my luck, his daughters are just as stubborn as he are!" Jennifer moaned in the chair

She was brought up to the admitting ward where a nurse quickly admitted her and she was put into a birthing room, changed into a gown and hooked up to a monitor

"Let's just check and see how far your dilated, Ma'am," a nurse came into the room and put on gloves, sitting down in front of her, the nurse pushed up her gown and checked

"Don't care about dilated, just want drugs" Jennifer moaned in agony

"It's too late for drugs; you're going to have to start pushing now!" the nurse didn't realize that one of the babies had started to crown when she had admitted Jennifer

"But my husband's not here!" She was mentally kicking herself for not realizing that she was progressing in her labor during the whole day

"I'm sorry, Ma'am but the babies have a different plan" Another nurse quickly came in and started setting up what they needed to make sure the babies were born safely

At this point, Jennifer just wanted it over now, she didn't care Jonathan wasn't with her or that none of her birth plan was being followed

A few pushes and the first baby slid out, she was screaming and had dark black hair.

"Just a few more minutes and you'll have another baby!" The Nurse said excitedly

"Not without me!" Jonathan came rushing in

"I thought you'd never make it" Jennifer was exhausted

"I wouldn't miss this for the world!" He went over and met his first daughter, who wasn't happy with her very first bath "Oh Darling, she looks just like you!"

"Mr. President, the second baby is ready to be born now" the Nurse informed him and he went back to his wife, who was exhausted and crying

"Ma'am, you have to push"

"I don't want to, please, Jonathan you do it" She begged

"I can't darling, I wish I could but you have to" He was angry with himself for missing their first baby's birth but was so glad he hadn't missed the other baby's birth.

"I can't, please don't make me!"

"Just one more and it'll be over, I love you so much" He whispered in her ear, his words giving her strength

"Just one more" Jennifer gritted her teeth and bared down

And just like her sister, the second baby was born screaming except this baby had red hair.

The babies were weighed and wrapped quickly

"Hello little ones" Jennifer had never seen a baby so tiny before and she couldn't believe they were hers

"I'm Daddy and This Mommy, we've been waiting for you" Jonathan couldn't imagine do anything else in the world, nothing mattered not even running the country

"Ma'am, Mr. President," a nurse interrupted their moment together, "We need to fill out their birth certificates"

CJ, the President's press secretary had scrambled to call back the press to inform them of the abrupt birth of the First babies.

"We'll make this short and sweet, at 10:17pm and 10:20 respectively; the First Lady gave birth to fraternal twin girls each weighing in at 6lbs each"

The Press started screaming with questions "Have names been chosen"

"Yes, Tess Maxwell and Sophie Elizabeth"


	4. Gravity takes It Toll

PRESENT DAY 

After praying with the Monsignor, He left her to perform Mass and Jennifer went out on the balcony that overlooked the White House Rose Garden, she couldn't believe that she was being held prisoner while her husband was possibly fighting for his life

She heard a door open and hoping against hope it was Jonathan, she slowly turned to go inside when her heart dropped.

It was Hannah, their Nanny

"Oh Ma'am, I heard about Mr. President and I came as fast as I could" She must have run from D street to Pennsylvania Avenue and through the White House because She was breathing heavy

"Thank you," Jennifer nodded just as the babies started crying from across the hall

"I'll go get them" Hannah went to the nursery

Jennifer sat on the couch and wondered who would be next to walk through her door, she hoped it was Jonathan but instead Mike came back

"I have an update on the President," Mike wanted to word this very carefully, "He has been hit, the bullets nicked the tip of his kidney, it was through and through and he was also hit in the shoulder"

"Oh my god," Jennifer's legs went from underneath her and she fell to the floor hard "When can I see him"

"Tomorrow Morning" Mike bent down to her level

"Why Tomorrow" She asked quietly

"The doctors need more time to assess any other damage including a possible spinal cord injury; he's also got a concussion from the agents trying to get him into the limo"

"His face, his beautiful face was it hit?!" She tried to imagine those dimples being ruined

"From what I'm told, No"

She was still for a minute then spoke "Please, I want an update every hour until the morning, this isn't about the President, this is my life literally is in your hands"

"I'll do my best" Mike stood up and left her

Jennifer laid down on the carpet and cried until she passed out from exhaustion

In all of her life, she'd never wanted to die as much as she did right in that moment.

Her life didn't matter without Jonathan and If he died, then so would she.

THREE MONTHS AGO

The day after Sophie and Tess were born, Jonathan made the first public statements regarding them, both he and Jennifer had decided months earlier during the Campaign that whatever stories were leaked out would be controlled by them.

He decided to make his comments just before leaving to pick up his new family, Jonathan went into the Press Room just before noon

"Yes, we'll have a meeting scheduled with the NSA's scheduled for later in the week, meanwhile the President is going to make a brief statement and take a few questions" CJ announced

One of the interns whispered into her ear

"Ladies and Gentleman, President Hart" she stepped aside to let Jonathan speak

"Good Afternoon, I just want to give a brief statement, today I am the luckiest man in the world, I am the father of two healthy baby beautiful girls by the most beautiful wife in the world" Jonathan couldn't stop smiling but the flashbulbs from the cameras were blinding

The press began firing off questions

"Who do the girls look like?"

"Their mother, Thank goodness" He laughed

"Do you know when pictures will be available?"

"I believe my wife has arranged something, although I'm not sure what"

"Who are the girls named after?"

"Well we got to pick a name, I chose Tess after Tess True-Hart from Dick Tracy and my wife chose Sophie after the Author Sophie Kinsella"

"How do you feel? How does the First Lady feel?"

"I feel like I'm flying and well, The First Lady is in desperate need of a nap" the laughter among the press was light

"One More Question then a final Statement" CJ announced

"What's on your agenda once the babies are in the White House"

"To continue to perform my duties as a father and President, I'm also adding that my children will not spectator sports and that whatever information you get will be solely from the First Lady and Myself. I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support, we've received more than enough gifts and presents for Sophie and Tess, while we are so grateful, Our Daughters will want for nothing and so any gifts they receive will go to the less fortunate children around the world in the form of a foundation being set up, Max's Hart, will be a place where children and babies will be provided with all the essentials. Thank you and Good Afternoon" Jonathan turned and left

When He'd left her, reluctantly, she'd had asked him to bring Jennifer a bag of clothes as well as outfits for the girls, everything had been set up for her to go into labor, They had assumed she would be admitted then going into natural labor on her due date but two weeks early, no one was prepared

He managed to grab the outfits for the girls but for his wife, he didn't know what to bring.

With a staff, made prominently of Women, he was too embarrassed to ask anyone for help so he grabbed what he thought would be appropriate

But when she got the bag, she wasn't as impressed with Jonathan as he thought

"Jonathan, 10 pairs of underwear, 5 mismatched socks and a pre-pregnancy Christian Dior dress?!" She wasn't mad as much as annoyed and slightly amused

"No Good" He was crushed

"Good try Darling" She went to the hospital closet and pulled out the dress she'd been wearing the night of the State of Union and had almost given birth in it, she hoped no one would make the connection

After packing up Sophie and Tess in their carriers, it was time to leave the hospital and nerves suddenly struck, could they actually raise twin babies in the House?!

They would know soon enough.

Jennifer was put into a wheelchair with Sophie on her lap while Jonathan carried Tess and they were wheeled to the front of the Hospital where the Press was waiting for them

She had to admit, on some level she was excited to show off her girls to the press, if only to make them back off a little when they would be at the White House.

Jennifer smiled and took Jonathan's arm to walk to the waiting SUV, just before she got in next to the girls, she turned and waved to the crowd gathered.

FIRST DAYS 

The first few days home with the babies were exhausting, in between feedings, changings and the constant screaming, No one was getting any sleep and because of that, Tempers were flying

Over Everything

They had just gone to bed, hoping for one or two hours of sleep when one of the babies started to cry

"Oh God, which one" Jonathan mumbled

"Sophie" Jennifer couldn't even move her body was so exhausted "Can you go"

"I have to run the country in the morning, you're their mother" If Jonathan hadn't been so tired, he would have censored himself

"You bastard" She dragged herself out of bed

"Damn it, Come back I'm sorry Darling"

But she was already gone and had slammed the door

He made it up to her the next day; he knew she was desperate for a shower and a nap so he decided to take the girls into the Oval for a few hours.

Jonathan hadn't realized how identical Sophie and Tess were until he was alone with them; Cyrus was attempting to tell him the schedule for an upcoming conference in Glasgow but was having no luck because Jonathan was trying to feed Sophie while Tess screamed to have her diaper changed.

"Sir, can't we get the first lady down here, we need to really go over this schedule and make sure we're in Sync with The delegates from the UN"

"My wife needs a break, so we're going to make sure she gets one so if that means having to move things around then so be it"

"Alright, Sir" Cyrus wasn't happy at all and left

"Mr. President" CJ came in with notes for the afternoon Press Briefing

"CJ, can you change ..her?" Jonathan nodded his head toward the carrier

"Uh, Sure" CJ put her folder down and picked up the baby, not knowing quite sure what to do, she fumbled around with the baby's onesie

"Here, you take this one and I'll take her" Jonathan handed the baby and changed her quickly

Except when he changed her, she spit up all over herself and him, he gagged so hard he nearly dropped his own daughter, he laid her down on a blanket on the floor and ran to the bathroom with the spare shirt he kept in the closet in the office for emergencies.

CJ was still holding onto the baby trying to calm her down when Carol, her assistant came running in

"We've got a major newsbreak coming in, you need to come now!" Carol ran back out

Not knowing what to do, CJ put the baby next to her sister on the floor and ran out

Several minutes went by and Jonathan came back in, tucking in his shirt, he expected to find CJ still holding one of the girls and the other baby on the blanket but they were both gone

"I'm Sorry, Mr. President, there's been a crisis" CJ rushed back in

"Where's my baby?" He asked panicking

"They were here a few minutes ago, I swear" CJ was positive they were too little for crawling

"Lock down the West Wing, No one goes anywhere until I find my babies!" Jonathan ordered

"Excuse me, Mr. President; Is Possible the first Lady has them?" CJ asked timidly

Jonathan rolled his eyes and said "Someone discreetly ask her if she's got them"

CJ used the President's phone to call the Residence "Yes, this is CJ Craig, I was wondering if the First Lady is in the residence" she listened for a moment," Thank You"

"Well," Jonathan asked eagerly as she hung up

"Yes, she's got them"

Jonathan didn't make it back into the residence until late and when he did, She was in the Nursery feeding one of the girls

"Hey" He was tired and she could see it in his face

"Hey" She wasn't going to argue with him over what had happened, she could see even he did put up a fight, it would be minor

"I'm sorry about earlier" He reached into the crib to pick up the other baby, who was fussing "Which one have I got"

"Tess, It's alright I knew if you could, you'd have stayed with them," She was tired" I can't do this by myself, I need your help"

"I want to be here more than anything but it's so hard, I knew this job would be stressful but not at the expense of my children, I don't want to miss a moment of their lives"

"So make an announcement that you'll stop working at 6pm every night to be with your children"

"It would be impossible," Jonathan looked so sad at his daughter

"Why not" She knew it was out there request but she had to do it for the girls,

"Because the world doesn't stop just because the President's got kids" Jonathan said handing her the baby and walking away

FIRST PRESIDENTAL CATASTROPHE

The Newness of Jonathan's Presidency wore off quickly and when Syrian air defense bombed an American Military Base, causing nearly 2000 American Lives including Admiral Jason Schwartz, a dear friend of Jonathan's who came up with him through Mission Street, the Navy all the way into Hart Industries but had recently resigned for a new tour of duty, He had been carrying a civilian to safety when his convoy was hit and he was killed instantly.

Jonathan became angry, so angry that suddenly nothing seemed to please him anymore and he began snapping at everyone including Jennifer, who tried desperately to get into his head only to have him storm off.

Even Seduction wasn't working, and she tried everything including waiting for him naked as a jaybird but he came in, went straight to the bathroom and then climbed into bed without a word.

He wouldn't interact with the girls; he would come in, kiss their heads and go into his private study for the night.

At meetings with the Joint Chiefs, where retaliation was discussed heavily, Jonathan couldn't help but feel like they were explaining the concept to a child, that because of his limited political career, he must not have enough experience as Past Presidents and that made him even angrier.

Figuring he needed a change of pace from the usual grind, Jennifer arranged a private dinner with Cyrus, Josh and the Head of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Carmine Keaton and Secretary of State Kerry but he was up and down every five minutes screaming about one thing or another with them and at them, half way through the meal, When he took her head off about the clutter of the nursery and how if she broke her neck, he'd be stuck raising the girls by himself, Jennifer couldn't take it anymore and left before the main course was served.

This was not the man she married and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

His response to the bombing was to bomb a Syrian camp that was known for producing terrorist and bombers, it would be the first time a President had such a response so early in his administration.

He gave the orders to the Joint Chiefs and was scheduled to make a TV announcement, the speech writers had gathered together to make sure it was exactly what he wanted but Jonathan still wasn't happy, and he sent it back four times for rewrites.

About 10 minutes before he was scheduled to speak, Jennifer brought down a potential new Social Secretary, Annabeth, a short pixie of a woman to meet with Jonathan; she would be in charge of organizing all the First Family private and public events, access to their private lives would be a must in order to do her job.

Jennifer and Annabeth went into the Oval where chaos was happening, interns, camera crews plus the senior staff cramped in, Jonathan was yelling but Jennifer didn't know what until she stepped into the room

"Where the hell are my glasses? I've been looking for them since this morning! Damn it, what does it take to find a simple pair of glasses?!"

"Sir, we've looked everywhere but we haven't had any luck" Charlie said, "Are you sure they aren't in your suit pocket"

"I'm not some chump, Charlie; I think I'd know if I left my damn glasses in the pocket, I had them last night when I was in the study with the girls"

"Girls" Annabeth asked Jennifer

"Our daughters" She didn't realize that he must have taken them in there after she went to sleep

"If he was in the study with the girls,"Annabeth whispered

"Darling, I think I may have a clue as to where your glasses are" Jennifer said over the crowd, "Tell him" to Annabeth

"I can't" She could see how angry the President but when the First Lady pushed her "Sir, If you were in the study with the girls?" She asked timidly

"What? Who is this?" Jonathan noticed this new person in the room

"Send someone up to the Private Study, look around there" Charlie asked one of the interns

"Darling, I'd like you to meet Annabeth Shot." Jennifer had to drag her across

"I don't have time for trivial matters, who is with the girls?" Jonathan demanded to know

"Hannah, please Darling, it'll just take a moment"

"Can't you see I'm trying to run a country here, just go upstairs and get out of my way"

Annabeth retreated to a now silent room; everyone couldn't believe how harshly the President had spoken to the First Lady

"Alright, that's it, I want to speak to you now in Cyrus's office" Jennifer leaned forward

"I don't have time to speak with you now" Jonathan saw her face go red and realized that he may have gone too far

She leaned forward into his face and whispered "Either you come with me right now or I drag the leader of the Free World into the Chief of Staff's office by his tie, CJ, how long do we have"

"Uh 5 minutes, Ma'am" CJ stuttered

"Better make it 10" Jennifer muttered and walked into the Chief of Staff's audience with Jonathan in front of her

As soon as they walked in, she slammed the door after him

"Alright, you've been on some sort of power trip the last few days and while that's just been a blast, I'd like to have my Husband back, you know the guy who didn't alienate potential staffers!"

"I don't know what you are talking about; I have a country to run"

"How are you going to run it without Staffers because sooner or later, everyone is going to get sick of your attitude and walk away, no one wants to work for the Asshole"

"I haven't been an asshole" He was amazed she was speaking to him like that

"Really, because you've got a Staff of about 20 outside that door who would disagree!, look I know your under tremendous stress but you have to learn to manage, you are never going to make it through your first term if you keep this up, either this pace will kill you or I will "

"Sometimes I don't even know what the hell I'm doing here! I wish we'd stayed in California, If this is going to become a problem between us and ruin what we have I should go up to the hill and turn in my resignation,"

"1st off, the House isn't session and if it was, what is that going to matter, you'll just be the President who couldn't hack it. Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want anymore; maybe I'm not Presidential material"

"But think about all the good you're going to do in Office, you'll be able to make a real difference if you just stop and manage your anger"

He knew she was right and he took a deep breath, "I know, I just feel so guilty 2000 men on my watch are dead and I feel so responsible,"

"You didn't cause this, you'll fix it in time but Darling, and please you need to realize that those people out there have only your best interest, they are willing to put their own lives on hold to make sure that the job is done and you're not making it any easier"

"I'm sorry Darling, I am" for the first time in days, she felt the coldness melt from him "I've just been all over the place and I haven't felt like myself but I'll fix it, I will" He pulled her into a hug

"You can start by acting like the Man I married; apologize to them so they know that it's not their fault then afterwards go upstairs and spend time with your daughters"

"I still haven't figured out which one is which" Jonathan confessed

"You will," Jennifer kissed him "You are a good man and If I have to tell you every moment of every day for the rest of our lives so this doesn't happen again, then I will"

"I love you" He hugged her close

"I love you too, but tonight you sleep with Freeway" She walked away from him

"Why?" He knew she was angry "Oh come on"

"Just for tonight, be grateful I'm not sticking you with the babies tonight, although I should" She walked out the door

Outside, the Staff of the West Wing had overheard the conversation between the First lady and the President, when the first Lady walked out; they all tried to act nonchalant but couldn't fool her

"Nice try guys, next time try putting a glass to the door" She laughed and walked over to Annabeth "Are you alright?"

"I just don't think this is going to work" She was embarrassed

"Annabelle is it?" Jonathan came out of Cyrus's office and approached them

"Annabeth" She mumbled

"Sorry, Annabeth, I want to apologize for my earlier behavior, it's just been a crazy day which is unfortunately comes with the Territory, I do hope you'll come and work with us"

"Of course Sir" Annabeth nodded

"Darling," Jonathan nodded and went back to his desk

"2 minutes to air" a crew member announced

"Alright, I'm not paying you people to stand around!" Jonathan joked, "When we're done here, I'm buying everyone a round of drinks" Everyone cheered

"Mr. President, we found your glasses" Charlie handed them to Jonathan

"Thank God, without these, I may have had to grope the first lady blindly" He winked in Jennifer's direction, whose face turned red but she was smiling.

"And we're live in 3,2, 1" the camera crew announced

"I've never felt like this before" Annabeth whispered

"Like what?" Jennifer whispered back

"Like I was a part of something extraordinary"

"I feel like that every day" Jennifer smiled


	5. His Hart and Mine

PRESENT DAY

The Secret Service agents finally agreed to let Jennifer out of the residence, they knew she wouldn't last another night without losing her mind and the theory among the other agents was that maybe it would help in the recovery of the President, whose injuries had been classified as critical.

Somehow, Jennifer gathered her wits together and got herself dressed in a pair of leggings and a long shirt, she knew she needed to be comfortable because when she got into the hospital; she wouldn't be leaving for a long time.

The agents were at the residence, almost as soon as the sun came up, Just as She was dressing Tess while Hannah was changing Sophie

"Ma'am, we're ready to go when you are" Mike announced, he hadn't left her doorway since last night "Are you sure you want to bring the Junior Mints?"

"Yes, I need to be able to feed them and they need to be close to their father" Jennifer decision to bring the girls wasn't something to question and from her tone, Mike understood

They went through the West Wing, the entire administration went silent as the First Lady walked through with the stroller, and she didn't have to look up from the stroller to feel the eyes of sympathy all around her.

"Can we walk a little faster please" She begged Mike

"We'll be there in a second" Mike said

They made it to the side of the West Wing where the Press was gathered and started screaming

"Ma'am, Ma'am! Is the President Still Alive?! What are his wounds, Will he be able to continue to govern?!"

Jennifer didn't say anything except just to hand off one of the carriers to another agent and jumped into the car

While in the car, a thought crossed her mind "Where any of Jonathan's people hit last night?" She asked Mike watching him buckle in Sophie

"CJ Craig received a concussion and we're still waiting on the condition of Josh Lyman"

"Oh my, and the casualty rate in the crowd"

"A bystander was hit in the thigh and many were trampled,"

"What about the men who shot at my husband" Jennifer looked sadly outside the window

"Two in a window, one on the ground, we're still looking for a possible fourth shooter"

After that, the ride to the hospital was silent except for when one of the girls cried

They arrived to the Hospital, instead of using the stroller, she instead carried Tess while Hannah used the carrier for Sophie

The agents guided them to the ICU, because the President was at a high risk, the entire floor had been cleared, The Doctor, who'd been on-call when the President was brought into the emergency room

"Hello, Ma'am I'm Dr. Kellen" He saw the sadness and urgency in her face

"How is my husband," Jennifer demanded to know

"For right now, he's got a massive concussion we're watching, a few broken ribs and some small bruising, what we're most concerned about his spinal cord injury, he was hit at the side and the bullet traveled to his spine, we're afraid if we don't take him back into the OR, it could do more damage but if we do take him in, we could be making it worse"

"Is he conscious now?"

"Yes, he's on a mild sedative to control the pain,"

"Will my husband be able to walk again, run around with our children" What she really wanted to know was that if her husband would be able to make love to her again?

"I don't know" The doctor wouldn't know until they got back into the OR

"Can I see him," She would trample anyone who denied her to see her husband at this point

"Of course, just for a few minutes and we'll need your children to stay behind"

"Fine,"

Jennifer followed the Doctor to outside of Jonathan's room, where she gave the baby to Mike

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door and walked in, He was asleep and he looked so peaceful, she could spot the line of bruises across his face

But like so many times before, he could sense her in the room

"Darling," he whispered reaching for her

"I'm here," she practically ran across the room "Oh Darling, I was so afraid I'd lose you" she began to cry

"Nothing would stop me from coming home to my girls"

"I love you so much" She kissed him cautious of the wires

"I love you too, I'm sorry about last night"

"I don't care as long as you're alright"

"Did you speak to the doctors?" He knew his prognosis was bad, his lower half was numb and if he was lucky he could have limited motion, if it was as bad as he thought he'd be lucky to be paralyzed

"Yes, and you will get better"

"But if I don't get better, Everything's already in order, just meet with McIntire and he'll tell you what our insurance policy covers and the trusts set up for Tessie and Sophie"

"Jonathan, I can't hear this" She sobbed harder, "If you die, well then we'll just have to get one giant casket for all four of us"

"I'm sorry Darling" He saw that maybe it was too soon to discuss such important matters

Cyrus came in, he saw the First Lady crying and the President looking helpless

"Ma'am, we need to talk"

"Alright, Darling I'll be right back" She kissed him

She rubbed the tears off her face and walked outside to find CJ and Sam

"Ma'am, we're in a bit of a crisis, The President never signed a document removing him from power" Sam said

"So he'll sign it now" Jennifer was torn between caring what they were saying and her husband

"No I mean before he went under the anesthetic and without it, we don't have someone in charge" CJ

"What about the Sally?," She was speaker of the House, because there was no Vice President after the recent murder of the Vice President

"I wouldn't ask her to cross the street but we think until President Hart is back in commission, we've got someone else in mind to run the country" Cyrus said nervously

"Who?" Jennifer asked

"You" All three of them said in Unison

ONE MONTH EARLIER

Just after the State of the Union and the attacks against Syria, the White House was rocked with another scandal

This time, involving the Vice President Bob Mackenzie.

It was a well-known worse secret in Washington that Mackenzie had a secret girlfriend and that they often spent the night at a nearby hotel or in the Mackenzie Mansion when Marilyn Mackenzie was out of town during fashion week or some sort of socialite tea

But what they never imagined she was would come home early and catch them in the act

Or that she knew how to handle a rifle

The call came in during the night, just as the President had climb into bed and the First Lady had brought the babies into their bedroom just for snuggle time when the phone rang

"Darling, you just got into bed" Jennifer complained, she hadn't seen him since that morning at Breakfast

"I know, I'll just get rid of whoever this is" He happened to be holding Sophie while he picked up the phone "This is the President, Slow down Charlie, what happened?! All right, get the car and two agents" He hung up the phone and turned to her "Get Dressed"

"What happened" She was bouncing Tess who was fussy

"I don't know what happened, I just know that Bob Mackenzie is dead," He kissed Sophie on her head and handed her back to Jennifer.

He got dressed while she watched the girls and then he watched them while she quickly got dressed, they woke up Hannah to tell her what was happening and to take over watching the girls

The agents drove them to the Mackenzie Mansion where the Police had just arrived as well

"What happened?' Jonathan asked the first officer he saw

"We don't know, we got two dead bodies and a suspect who's got herself barricaded in the bathroom"

"What about their daughter, Tiffy?" Jennifer asked

"There's a daughter?!" The second police man had approached them and was listening

"Yes, she's nine" Jennifer nodded

"We got a situation, there's a kid possibly still in the house" The officer spoke into his walkie

"Let us go into the house and see if we can talk to Marilyn and find Tiffy" Jonathan suggested and the Police didn't disagree

They walked into the house, and found Bob Mackenzie lying face down in the doorway as if he tried to outrun his wife and almost made it.

Jonathan actually had to step over his body to get into the house where the walls were splattered with blood

"Where is Marilyn" He asked the coroner who was taking pictures of the body

"Upstairs Bathroom"

Jennifer followed Jonathan, trying to choke back the taste of vomit in her throat, she couldn't believe in all her life she had ever see something gruesome and this was from a woman who'd given birth to twins.

"Darling, why don't you go find Tiffy and I think I'll go see if I can talk to Marilyn"

Jennifer nodded and continued down the hall to the door that said "Tiffy" In Glitter letters, she knocked first and when she didn't get an answer she opened the door and looked around, It looked so neat and clean for a little girl, all the clothes were hung up and the toys put away, the tea party set in the corner was waiting for Tiffy to come play

"Hello, Tiffy?" Jennifer called, no answer again, she opened the closet door and nothing

Jennifer's concern was growing, Maybe Marilyn had killed her child as well as her husband or maybe she was at a friend's house

One last look and she would leave, she was about to go when she heard someone hiccup from underneath the bed

Kneeling down, she found Tiffy Mackenzie crying

"Hi Tiffy, remember me" She didn't want to force Tiffy to come out if she didn't want, so she flattened her body enough to make herself comfortable on the floor "I'm Jennifer"

Tiffy just nodded and continued to silently cry

"Are you okay" Jennifer asked, this child may be a witness to something tragic but any type of traumatic experience needed to be dealt with sensitivity

Tiffy nodded

"Tiffy, can you come out honey, I don't think you can stay under there for much longer"

Tiffy just held out her hand and Jennifer pulled her out, noticing that Tiffy was in her pajamas and that her hair was messed up, she must have been asleep when the shots were fired

"Why don't you and I pack a bag so you can spent the night at the White House, I know my girls would love to see you" Jennifer said

Tiffy didn't speak just leaned forward and hugged Jennifer hard, still crying

"I know, it's been a long and scary night" Jennifer couldn't imagine going through the emotions of seeing your mother murder your father

Jennifer helped her pack a bag, just before they left the room, Tiffy gasped and started looking for something

"Tiffy?" Jennifer asked

"I need my Winnie!" She cried while digging

"Who's Winnie?"

"Daddy gave me that when we moved here!" Tiffy started tearing off the sheets of the bed

"Alright, we'll look for her" Jennifer put the bag down and started looking around,

"I know! I left her downstairs!" Tiffy darted out of the room before Jennifer could catch her

"NO! Don't!" but it was too late, she had made it to the top of the stairs and saw her father lying in the doorway, luckily the coroner had covered his body with a sheet but his arm was sticking out

"DADDY!" Tiffy screamed and Jennifer grabbed her and turned her away

"Don't Sweetheart," She picked up Tiffy, who screamed and cried, fighting her but Jennifer wouldn't let her go

Jonathan heard the scream from Tiffy and immediately saw what happened,

"Darling, take her back to the White House and get her to bed"

"How are you getting back?" Jennifer asked loudly over Tiffy

"One of the agent's will drive me back, don't worry" Jonathan kissed her forehead and covered Tiffy's head with his jacket.

Jennifer hurried down the stairs and an agent helped her climb over the body, she put Tiffy in the car and started to climb into the car but she thought she might be able to help, She started to get out but Mike stopped her

"Ma'am I think it's best if you went back to the white house with the child" Mike suggested with a tone that said there was no room for arguing

She could only nod; another person might not be what Marilyn Mackenzie needed

Just as they pulled out of the Mackenzie Mansion, the SWAT team arrived as well as Hostage Negotiation team, the Press had arrived earlier while she'd been in the house but had kept a respectful distance when they saw her leave with Tiffy.

After putting Tiffy into the bedroom right next to theirs and staying until she was sleep, Jennifer went to their room and watched the coverage on Television

Halfway through an interview with a security guard at the estate, She herself fell asleep but woke up when she heard one of the babies crying

She went into the Nursery and found Jonathan holding Sophie

"Oh my god, you scared me!" She jumped 10 feet in the air

"Sorry Darling" He looked as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders

"What happened to Marilyn" She spoke to him while she changed Tess who was a heavy sleeper

"She's dead" Jonathan said quietly

"Oh no!" Jennifer was surprised but she wasn't "How?"

"She put the pistol to her head just as the Feds kicked down the door," Jonathan played with Tess's tiny hand

Jennifer didn't say anything, just walked across the nursery and knelt down "I'm sorry, Darling I'm just so sorry"

"I've got to put in a call to Mackenzie's Sister in Georgia; she'll come get Tiffy in the afternoon"

"First you need to sleep," She stood up but he grabbed her wrist

"You know I'd never cheat on you, right?" He was so nervous that he couldn't get the words

"Of course, just like I'd never cheat on you" Jennifer bent down again "We've got something better than anyone could understand

"What's that?"

"Each other's Heart"

First State Dinner

The White House was preparing for its first official dinner with representatives from nearly 20 countries including the President of France making a rare stateside appearance and the Artist Joshua Bell would be performing as well.

The White House was even more chaotic, this time it would be the first time a First Lady had a hand in planning the event in nearly 30 years and she spent every waking hour when not with the babies planning every detail, in between Jonathan having to go deal with an airline strike in the Carolinas and a police riot in California.

It was exhausting and by the time the dinner rolled around, the President felt like he'd aged 20 years

It was especially hard knowing that that without a VP, he was flying by the seat of his pants and forced to make quick decisions when he normally had time to think of the pro and con of each side.

The night of the State Dinner, All he wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch the Lakers lose

"Darling, You have to go" She prodded him, while putting on her makeup

"But I don't wanna!" He was like a child "Why do I have to go"

"Because you are the guest of honor, now get dressed" She raised her eye brow at him and he knew that meant she was going to yell at him "If I have to be strapped into a corset then into a 20lb dress, the least you could do is put on a tux"

He reluctantly put the Tux and then had to wait for her to get dressed, he started doing a crossword puzzle

"Are the girls asleep?" He called from the desk in their room

"Yes but I think Tess is getting sick" She called back

"I think I'll go check on them"

"Fine but if you come back with spit up on your suit from one of your daughters, you'll be bunking with Freeway permanently" She knew he'd do anything to get out of going

"Alright Alright" He rolled his eyes but still smiled

He checked on the babies and Tess did sound stuffy, He would never wish his children sick but if it meant getting him out of a dinner so he could spend more time with them, then so be it

"Are you sure we should leave Tessie?" He came back into their bedroom

"She will be fine, besides Hannah will be there and we're only a 100 yards over" Jennifer stepped out of their closet wearing a strapless red and black dress

"You, my darling, are going to be the belle of the ball" He pulled her close

"Why thank you sir" She turned southern for him "But as a Lady I don't kiss and tell, at least not until after midnight"

"We can just a few minutes late, can't we Cinderella?!" He kissed her again

"C'mon Mr. President, your public awaits"

She took his hand and they walked to the main ballroom, the room was set up in white and blue pale lights, the orchestra was playing and the guests were beginning to arrive.

They each took a section of room and greeted their guests until Dinner was called and then they sat down at a table with the President of France and his wife

Jonathan felt stupid, he could speak a little French but not enough to converse

"Darling, President Sarkozy and his wife look like they just found out The Electric Chair is back in service" He whispered to his wife

She understood and quickly asked if they were enjoying themselves, the President said yes but it was customary in France for the Hosts to begin to dance to really get the party started,

It was a tradition going back to Marie Antoinette

"Darling, they believe if we get up and dance, they will be more comfortable and feel at easy"

"Well let's get the party started" Jonathan stood up and held his hand out "May have I have this dance Madam"

"Of course" She smiled and took his hand

They danced around the room, unaware of the nearly 500 people staring at them in awe

"So are you sorry now about having to be there" She asked

"As long as I get to dance with you, it's worth it"

They danced for what seemed like an eternity until they were interrupted by Charlie, who said that the President had a call from China he needed to take

"Duty Calls," He kissed her hand and let her go.

She watched him leave and felt her heart break a little; she decided to get some air on the balcony

Jennifer had only been out in the balcony when she felt a pair of hands around her waist, closing her eyes she turned around and kissed the person attached to those hands

Except those lips felt unfamiliar

She opened her eyes and screamed

It was Nicholas Sarkozy!

She pushed him away but not before a hand knocked with his face

Jonathan! With Charlie!

"Oh Jonathan I swear I didn't know it was him!" She cried

"I know, I saw through the window" He kissed her forehead "I think the party's over for us, Good Night"

"But sir, the guests" Charlie protested

"Will just have to understand and if they don't then send our best regards and tell them to get their asses out of my house , we're going upstairs to see our daughters" Jonathan took her hand and led her away

"I think for our first White House Function, it went remarkably well" She said in the elevator going up to the residence

He just looked at her and laughed


	6. I'll stand by you

Present Day 

After CJ, Sam and Cyrus told Jennifer their plan of having her take over while Jonathan recuperated, she thought about it for a minute and realized that if it happened while at Hart industries, and she'd have done the same thing anyway.

It was her duty as Jonathan Hart's wife.

"Alright I'll do it" She exhaled "But if I do it, I'm going to need some help, there's someone I'd like you to get who knows everything about running a country and who'll be a great asset"

"Who" Sam asked curiously

"Leo McGarry" Jennifer said

"Leo?!" Both CJ and Sam said in unison

Leo McGarry was a legend in Washington Politics, nothing happened without his say so, he knew everyone and everyone knew him, at one point he'd been a candidate for the Democratic Vice Presidential Ticket but had lost at the 11th hour to Fitz Grant and Bob Mackenzie, recently he'd suffered a series of heart attacks but slowly was coming back. He'd held many positions in the White House, First as Labor Secretary, Senior Council Advisor then as briefly Chief of Staff to the previously outgoing President, Bartlett.

He'd been a big financer of Hart Industries, and Leo knew when it came to invest in the ideal candidate, Jonathan was a key person to go to and Jennifer knew that if she was to anything worthwhile and be successful, it would be under Leo's leadership.

"We'll arrange it immediately" CJ said "Who's going to tell the President"

"I am, then what happens?"

"We'll swear you in, then you'll be given a security briefing followed by a meeting with the Joint Chiefs and then Cabinet, we'll set up a press conference to announce the transfer of power from President Hart to you and then afterwards, you'll meet in the situation room to go over any developments" Sam said

"That seems like a lot to cram into one afternoon, I'll need time to go back and feed my girls" Jennifer was already exhausted

"Of Course, Ma'am, we'll schedule that in" CJ nodded, Accommodations would have be put in for the Girls.

"And we'll have to halt trips overseas; I won't leave my husband or girls"

"Of course Ma'am"

"Let me just tell Jonathan and then we'll go back to the White House"

"Yes Ma'am" Cyrus agreed, he knew that this would be something the President wouldn't be happy about, to have his job taken away from him by his wife

Just then the Doctor came in with Jonathan's X-ray

"Mrs. Hart, we need to speak now!" The doctor was frantic

"What happened?!" Jennifer's fear was growing, Could she actually lose her husband?

"We need to get The President back into surgery now, there's another bullet lodged under his spinal column and if we don't at least make an attempt to remove it, he'll be paralyzed for sure"

"Oh my god" Jennifer had to sit on the floor

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

"No but when he is, I'll be" Jennifer said

Jennifer was allowed to see Jonathan before he was taken back into surgery

"You'll be fine, I promise, when you are out of here, we'll go back to Indian Island, this time with the girls and I'll take care of you" She cried" Everything will be great again"

"Does this mean I get a naughty nurse fantasy" Jonathan winked at her

"Anything you want!" She sobbed

"There's my incentive to survive, boys let's go" Jonathan kissed her and signaled to the interns to take him away

"I love you so much"

"I love you too, and tell my daughters, I plan on walking them down the aisle"

"You can tell them yourself when you're out of here" Jennifer sat down and leaned forward, crying

"Ma'am," CJ approached her

"Give me a second" Jennifer composed herself and then left the hospital, knowing it would be hours before he'd be out of surgery and he'd never know why she left while he was struggling to survive

But she'd do her damnest to make sure that while he recuperated, She'd make sure his job was done to the best of her ability.

TWO WEEKS EARLIER 

Jonathan had been hatching a plan, he knew how exhausted Jennifer was from taking care of the girls and that they need time away from the constant intrusion of their private residence. He knew that she was used to Max and his ability to disappear into the background when it was necessary and that the basic freedom she'd had back in LA was gone.

So he'd conspired with Annabeth and Charlie for a surprise like the old days, he made sure his schedule was clear for 24 hours as well as hers but when he went upstairs to the residence to kidnap her, she was gone and so were the girls

The agents were standing at the door

"Fellas, where's the wife and kids?" He asked

"I think she's down in the First Lady's office" Joe, an agent answered

"Women, never stay where you expect to be" Jonathan rolled his eyes

"Yes Sir"

Jonathan went down to the First Lady's Office and found his wife typing up a report, Sophie was in her bouncer asleep but Tess wasn't in hers

"Darling," Jonathan interrupted

"Oh Hi" She smiled at him, she loved when he interrupted during a busy day

"Hi Baby" He kissed Sophie's head, "Are we missing an offspring?"

"Over here" She gestured to the side of her desk where Tess was laying on her back watching her mobile spin

"Is it odd that both our daughters, both beautiful look nothing like me?" Jonathan said picking up Tess

"Well Tess isn't yours so I wouldn't worry about that" She laughed

"Ha-ha, are you free for lunch?" He put Tess into her bouncy seat

"I think I can arrange something, did you want to order in or go to the Commissary?"

"I have a different idea," Jonathan took her arm "Say Goodbye to the Girls"

"What?" She was confused

"We're going someplace the girls can't come"

"But who's going to watch them?!" Jennifer was torn, she was excited at a private lunch with her husband but it was too soon to be separated from them.

"Hannah's coming down, as well as Charlie will be with them plus the agents are here, they'll be fine"

"It's only for a few hours so I guess it'll be fine"

"It's going to be longer than a couple hours, in fact we'll be gone until Sunday Morning"

"I can't leave them!"

"There's enough milk in the fridge to get them through until their 18, Hannah knows their routine and I promise the minute we get to where we're going, you can call them" Jonathan was pulling her out the door, her resistance slowing down.

"Wait! I have to pack!"

"See, this is where being President Works, It's been taken care of"

"But I just need to run upstairs and grab something quickly" She knew that he would die a thousand deaths if she sent him up there looking for her item, this particular item. Especially when he used to make Max buy his condoms, he'd blush and stammer until finally she would have to write it on the grocery list to avoid the whole scene; Max understood and would buy them then slip the box into Jonathan's dresser drawer.

"Darling, whatever it is, I'm sure you won't need it!" Jonathan was becoming frantic

"Fine," As Jonathan pulled her out of the First Lady's office, she called to Charlie loudly "Tell the porter when he asks what supplies we'll need, throw in a pregnancy test because the President refused to allow me to go 100 feet over to get my birth control pills!"

"Yes Ma'am" Charlie bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when the President's eyes grew

"Alright you win, go upstairs and get the pills" Jonathan consented

"Next time you'll listen to me" She kissed his nose and went back into her office to pack up the girls

A half hour later, Jonathan was still waiting for her to finish saying goodbye to the girls and Freeway

"Darling, come on, the faster we leave, the faster we can come back"

"I know, I hate to my leave my babies!" She was crying over the girls in their carriers "Mommy loves you so much!"

"Alright, that's it, Say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, my little angels" He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder and carried her like that through the West Wing and into a waiting car.

They drove for about an hour, he resting and she was reading, he wouldn't tell her where they were headed, just that they were going to be driven and it was within enough time to get back to the White House if trouble occurred.

The agents drove them out to a private island just outside Washington, Pearl Island home to only seven civilians and past Presidents.

The house was equipped with a helipad to make a quick escape, a heated Jacuzzi, three bedrooms and a private kitchen. If the President wants, a private Chef can be hired and serve meals to the President and his guests.

Outside the house, there's a lake with a private boat and a complete crew on standby

All the ideal amenities

The house looked large on the outside but it was considerably small so when the agents arrived at the house, the view was amazing

"Darling, Darling" Jennifer shook Jonathan, he'd been so excited but like any other car ride they were driven in, he fell asleep

"Are we there yet?" he opened his eyes and sat up "Yes!"

"This is so beautiful, where did you find it?!" She said as the car stopped

"It pays to know people" He smiled at her and kissed her

The car finally came to a stop and they got out of the car, the Agents were going to be surveying at a distance and staying at a cabin nearby.

"Sunday Morning Sir" an agent said handing Jonathan a set of keys

"Yeah, Yeah Yeah" Jonathan laughed and waved them off

They walked to the front of the house and just before he opened the door

"Welcome to the Casabah" He put on her favorite imitation, Bogart and when she laughed, he pulled her closer and kissed her

"It's cold out, let's go inside" She was excited and stepping inside the house, she realized that for the first time in months, she was finally alone with her husband

He closed the door behind them and when he turned to her, he noticed she was already kicking off her shoes and sitting on the couch

"Wait, I have one more surprise for you.." He went into another part of the house and came back with Champagne, two glasses and a blanket

He spread the blanket out on the floor in front of the fire place, despite it being cold outside, the house was warm.

"Do you want to call the girls" He smiled at her

"No, I'm sure their fine," She suddenly felt like a nervous teenager, "This is so strange, I keep expecting someone to barge in on us"

"Well, it's just us but if you want I can call in a couple agents" He smiled at her and she slid down the couch

"No," She leaned forward and kissed him

"Wait, Wait, don't you want Champagne" He pulled back and studied her face

"No, Just you" She pushed him backwards and laid across his stomach " I love you so much

"I love you too"

For the first time in months, she wasn't afraid to be naked in front of her husband, her feelings about her body had drastically changed after the babies and she knew that Jonathan looked at her differently. But she hoped right now, he didn't care that she was someone's mother, that she was the same person he'd made to love to a thousand times over and over again.

The first time he'd made love to her, they had just had a tremendous fight over something she didn't even remember and she turned to leave, he grabbed her and threw her down on the bed.

She supposed she should have been frightened but it excited her, she'd never had such passion before and when he kissed her neck, she giggled hard and she was amazed at how his body fit perfectly into hers as if they were made together

This time though, she was so tired and he was too that their lovemaking didn't last for hours as it normally had and she was asleep before he could finish.

She woke up a few hours later and he was gone, wrapping herself in the blanket, she went to find him in the kitchen, reading the paper and drinking coffee

"Hi, did you sleep?" She put her arms around his neck and kissed him

"Not bad, you?" He kissed her arms, she loved when he had on his reading glasses, for some reason it made him even sexier

"I did.." She sat down in one of the chairs "Did you call and check on the girls?"

"A Rough night, Hannah seems to think Tessie might be getting sick"

"Oh no, should we go back?" Jennifer was alarmed

"No I think she'll be alright, Darling, if she gets worse we'll go back" He knew that her being worried about one of the babies being sick might be distracting but this would be the last trip for a while for both of them.

She nodded, "So what's on your agenda for today?" She was starting to get cold being naked under the blanket

"I figured we'd take the boat around and see what this island has to offer"

"Alright, well, I'm cold and going for a shower, Coming?" She held her hand

"Not yet but soon I hope" He smirked at her

"Jonathan!" She laughed

After a long shower together, they got dressed and went down to the dock where a crew was ready to take them around

She was still nervous about leaving the mainland but when she saw how relaxed he was, Jennifer decided to go along with whatever he had planned

They set off and Jonathan took two pillows and they lay across the front of the boat

"Are you having fun" He asked with his eyes closed

"I am, Thank you for this" She took a deep breath of salt air and felt the tension go from her body

He suddenly turned to his side and looked at her deeply, pushing her hair back from her face "Are you happy"

She was taken aback by his serious tone "I'm always happy with you and our girls"

"I mean are you happy in Washington?"

"I admit I miss our home and our everyday routine but we'll be back in less than three years"

That was the arrangement when he'd come to her to say he was running for candidacy, they'd just found out about her being pregnant with twins and she made him promise that he would only be a one term President

"Right it's only for three years" He kissed her and suddenly pulled her on top of him kissing her until she was sure he was going to rip her pants off right there

"Jonathan, the agents" she pulled back a little

"Let them get their own women" and kissed her again

THE WEEK OF THE SHOOTING 

The story broke on late Sunday Night, none of the Communications or Public Relations department were given a head's up.

This could be the story that would either make or break the Presidential Legacy of Jonathan Charles Hart but would be soon overshadowed by a failed assassination attempt

Jonathan and Jennifer were eating a late dinner when Charlie, whom Jonathan had sent home earlier after being on duty for nearly 30 hours came rushing

"Ma'am, Sir, you need to see this" Charlie was rushing past the agents and nearly kicked down the door

"Charlie, what's the matter" Jonathan jumped up from the table, Charlie ran to the Television where a press conference was being held and turned it on.

"I'll go check on the girls" Jennifer started to get up

"Ma'am I think you better stay for this one"

A man stepped in front of the podium, "My name is Donald Walters, I am a representive for Nikki Stefanos and I'm going to make a brief statement on her behalf. I've been diagnosed with a terminal condition, although I won't elaborate what my condition is. I've decided to not only disclose my condition but reveal a deep secret I've carried with me for nearly 15 years. Many years ago I had a relationship and a brief marriage with current President Hart and we had a child together, a boy August Jonathan Stefanos whom I hope will be acknowledged by the President and his family. When I do eventually pass on, Everything will go to my beloved August. President Elect Hart, I'm sure will see to that everything will be in order for my son to succeed and carry on his mother's legacy and I apologize if this causes any heart ache. " The man stepped back and left before answering any questions

Jonathan didn't move for several minutes, he was stunned so stunned he was sure the floor was going to open up and swallow him whole.

"Mr. President," Charlie called him

"Sorry Charlie, Um, get Sam and CJ together we need to get on top of this, find out what the hell is going on, and then get Nikki Stefanos on the phone" Jonathan gave his order and Charlie left "Darling, are you alright"

She'd sat down on the couch like she'd been punched in the stomach; suddenly everything she'd ever known about her husband was going out the window and down the steps of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"No I'm not" She whispered "You married her?"

"It was annulled before we ever met, Darling I swear I never thought about her after we got together" Jonathan kneeled in front of her

"How could you not tell me about this? And judging by the look on your face, you didn't know about her son either"

"I knew she had a kid but I thought it was some other guy's"

"So you knew that on some level, he could be yours, Jonathan we share a life and children, how could you not ever tell me this?! We tell each other everything" She was getting angrier, the passionate weekend they'd just spent together was completely out of her mind "What are we supposed to do now, take him in as what, a member of our family? Good thing Tess and Sophie are too young to ask questions"

He hadn't even thought of what could have happened if Tess and Sophie could understand, he barely understood what was happening

"I can't get into this right now, I have to go downstairs and do damage control, will you be up later?"

"What time?" She turned to go into the bathroom; she could feel her tears start to pour down her face

"Probably 3 or 4" He didn't know how long it would take to fix this or even how to deal with this.

"I'm not usually up at 3 or 4 unless I'm with one of the girls am I?" She slammed the door behind her

Jonathan didn't come back to the residence until nearly 5am and by then she'd fallen asleep in the nursery with the girls.

She was so hurt and he understood but the tension grew between them and they didn't speak.

Later, she'd tell herself that if she'd hadn't been so stubborn and him as well, they could have spoken about the situation

Instead she froze him out and He struggled to find a way to get through to Jennifer.

The night before the shooting, they would have the biggest fight of their marriage

She'd spent the better part of the week sleeping in the nursery, it seemed like every time she turned on the TV or passed a paper, it was all about the possible illegitimate love child of the President and the Greek Heiress and that the President was planning a trip to Greece to discuss the scandal with the Heiress before it was too late.

Jennifer just wanted an escape and she was thinking it was time to go back to California for a visit, if only just for a few days.

He came while she was bathing the girls

"Hi" He wasn't sure if she was going to explode in front of the girls or not

"Hi" her voice was cold

"I have a speech to give in Rossalyn tomorrow, I was hoping you'd come" He sat down on the edge of the sink while she was sitting on the floor

"I'm not going to be here in the morning, I think it would be better if for a couple days I went home,"

"You can't leave, I need you" He was surprised she was willing to bail so quickly, this wasn't like her "But you aren't taking the girls"

"Yes I am, you can't possibly watch them 24/7 and I think it'll be good for them to see the ocean" She pulled Sophie out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel and handed her to Jonathan

"That's a cop out and you know it, C'mon we've weathered worse than this" He took the baby from her and patted her dry while she finished with Tess

"Nothing like this," She finished and left the bathroom to go into the nursery

"C'mon if you leave, it looks like an omission of guilt"

"And you think a trip to Greece isn't one?!" She stopped short "I can't be here, it hurts too much, and I'm standing here wondering what else I don't know about my own husband, someone who I've told things so personal that I could never tell anyone else. Being around you is killing me right now"

"You don't know me at all, if you would ever think I'd leave a child behind" He regretted the words instantly

"I just have one question for you, when we got married and if Nikki had told you about this child, would you have left me for her?"

His silence spoke volumes

"We'll gone in the morning"

"You can go but the girls stay" He ordered

"I am their mother!" Jennifer was surprised but she knew he was angry as well

"And I am their father as well as the President; you will do as I say"

"I'm not a member of your Staff, Jonathan, I am your wife!"

"And as my wife, I ask that you please stand beside me, I need you more than ever, I am drowning here, Darling please" He softened

"Promise me, this will be the last surprise until we leave" She was melting and he knew it

"Promise" He kissed her

"Promise me again"

"I swear, on our children this will be the last surprise" Jonathan smiled and kissed her again.

Those words would come back to haunt them


	7. Commander in Chief

First Day in Office 

_Do you, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart promise to faithfully execute the Office of the Presidency to the best of your ability, protect and preserve the Constitution of the United States?_

"I, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Congratulations, you are now the first woman President of the United States" The Judge pronounced Jennifer

"Thank you" She whispered and lowered her hand

The whole thing had come together in a matter of hours and in just a few moments, she'd be giving her first press conference, she'd never been this nervous before, sitting in the oval office in Jonathan's Chair, she felt very much like Alice in Wonderland.

Jennifer understood why Jonathan was so stressed out, all the paperwork on her desk and calls to return as well as the amount of meetings crammed into a day was overwhelming, She'd been rushed into hair and makeup quickly as well as dressed in her best Christian Rinaldo dress, they didn't even leave the room so she could change, she didn't even have time to check on the babies.

Or Tell Jonathan that she was about to take over the one thing in the world that mattered most to him

"Ma'am" Charlie shook her out of her daydream "CJ said there's been a 10 minute delay"

"Alright Thanks Charlie" She was so scared, she found the bottle of scotch under Jonathan's desk drawer and poured a drink to calm her nerves

Charlie had gone back to his desk and returned a few minutes later

"Ma'am, you have a visitor,"

"I do, who?!" Jennifer was surprised

Charlie paused then said "Sally Langford"

Jennifer made a face then put the glass down "Five Minutes then I don't care if you have to get the Secret Service in here"

"Yes Ma'am"

Jennifer took a deep breath and put down the scotch, standing up she made sure her dress was pulled down enough and put on her game face

"Mrs. Hart" Sally Langford rushed in past Charlie who rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him "I heard about the President, Is he alright?" and grabbed her in a hug

Jennifer smiled at the mock insincerity, pulling back "It's going to be a long road but I have no doubt in my mind, he'll be back in office before the Mid-term elections in four months"

"I'm sure when he does come back, he'll be able to resume immediately but until then with Bob Mackenzie gone then I guess I'll be stepping up to take over, Don't worry you and your lovely little daughters can stay in the residence" Sally Langford wasn't one to mince words

"Well, actually I've been asked to take over while my Husband recovers" Jennifer braced herself for the backfire

"Excuse me" Sally acted as if she'd been slapped "How is that possible"

"Well My staffers found a loophole that allows to me run the country in Jonathan's absence"

"But Darlin, Don't you think your time can be spent doing something much more productive"

Jennifer had sat down in Jonathan desk chair and began to stare down the Speaker of the House "Such as"

"Such as continuing your duties as a wife and mother to those three innocent children"

"Two, I have two daughters"

"Anyway, your focus should be on them and the recovery of the President,"

"I'll thank to stay out of my family's personal business, In the meantime, I'm the interim President for the time being."

"I just believe that someone with experience should be in the Office"

"Someone like.. you?"

"Well, Yes I do have extensive experience"

"Sally, I have a conference in about two minutes and as much as I'd like to get into a pissing match over this, I'm just going to leave it at this. I am now the President, If your so concerned about family dynamics, take a look at your own before you go criticizing mine."

"Excuse me" Sally stood up

"Let's just say..Your Husband's late night meetings with a certain member of the Press Core haven't gone unnoticed by anyone"

"What my husband does is our business and what skeletons he does have in our mutual closet at least don't have little bastards running around"

"Sally, I suggest you stop while you still have a breath in your body" Jennifer was angry, she couldn't believe that Sally was stooping that low

"And You, Jennifer need to learn how to step aside when told to" Sally turned and marched out the door

"Oh go hop back on your broomstick" Jennifer yelled just as Charlie appeared

"Ma'am, it's time"

"Charlie, when we're done with the Press Conference, I want to see Ron Butterfield, Mike and Sam"

"Yes, Ma'am" Charlie nodded "Is there going to be some sort of trouble"

"Not yet but it's on the horizon, my instincts tell me" Jennifer nodded and left for the Briefing room

Jennifer paced outside the briefing room, the butterflies building in her stomach "Oh my, what am I doing? This is crazy! I can't do this"

"Yes, You can" A voice called, a familiar gruff voice that sounded like Max's but had more of a polished twinge

"Leo!" Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief "I thought you were getting into town tomorrow"

"Well I had to stop and see an old friend and I figured while I was in town early, I would come sooner and I guess I arrived in the nick of time"

Jennifer smiled "I'm so lost here"

"Well I have a message for you from someone who loves you" Leo pulled out his phone and glasses "I never know how this damn thing works"

She rolled her eyes and took the phone from him, opening his saved videos and seeing it was Jonathan who had sent it to her, she thought she'd had enough time to finish the conference and go back to the hospital in time to be there when he woke up

"Hi Darling, Leo told me what's going on and I gotta say I can't think of a better person to fill in for me. You are a born leader and I'm so proud of you. I know Leo and the rest of the staff will be on hand to help you and when it's over, I'll show you who's the real commander in Chief" he wiggled his eye-brows but obviously to do that was causing him pain because he flinched at the movement

It hadn't occurred to her how much she had been missing him until that moment but somehow, knowing that Jonathan was throwing his support to her made Jennifer feel more confident.

"Thanks, Leo" She hugged Leo

"Well that's the sort of things old friends do for each other, Now when you are done here, I'll be back down in the Sit room with the Joint Chiefs and we'll go over some security plans"

"You're such a good friend" She hugged him one final time before Carol, CJ's assistant waved to her it was time.

Jennifer walked away; She didn't hear Leo mutter "I'm more than just a friend, Kiddo"

"Ma'am, are you ready?" Carol asked noticing how pale Jennifer was

"No but I guess I can't turn back now" She took a deep breath and stopped up to the podium

"Ladies and Gentleman, the President of the United States, Jennifer Charlotte Edwards Hart!" CJ announced

Jennifer was blinded by the flashbulbs and bumped into the podium, "Good afternoon, I just wanted to make the announcement that in my husband's absence and recovery, I will be stepping in his place and I will do everything in my power to the job that my husband was elected to do. This will be most important job I will ever have aside from being a wife and a mother"

"We'll just a take a few questions" CJ announced

"Have you spoken to your husband about taking his job?!" one reporter shouted

"No because He's been under medication for his injuries but I do know that he is very supportive"

"Who'll be watching the girls while you are running the country?"

"They are still small that I can cart them around the White House and I do have help and without my beloved Nanny, I couldn't even begin to do a decent job"

"Don't you feel you'll be abandoning them because your attention will be divided?"

"No this is a job like any other mother would have to balance and I chose to do both"

"What will happen when President Hart Returns?"

"I will gladly step aside and allow my husband to return to his post"

"Why do you think you were chosen over Sally Langford"

"I think because I understand a life beyond Washington Politics, I've been both the socialite and a civilian, I believe I can identify with the people better"

"Ma'am" CJ nudged her

Jennifer instantly knew she must have done something wrong but CJ instead handed her a slip of paper

"I have an announcement, Nikki Stephanos has passed away from her illness , the President and I convey our deepest to her son August and as soon as we know more, so will you..Thank you" She stepped off the podium and nearly ran out of the briefing room

"Ma'am, what are you going to do about Nikki Stephano's son?" CJ asked

"As soon as they bury her, make arrangements for him to come to Washington .."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, If he is indeed my husband's son, I want him here so we can establish a relationship plus I have a feeling if we don't do something, Sally will use that as leverage to push us out of the White House" Jennifer decided

TWO WEEKS LATER

Jennifer had been in the White House for only a few weeks but it seemed like a lifetime, Balancing the girls and the job had been difficult and there were days when she barely saw, which filled her with regret that their childhood was passing without either of them being there but Jonathan would be home soon, the doctors had said, although he had limited movement he could still progress enough to make the transition to the White House under strict supervision but under no circumstances could he return to the job.

It could be months or even years before He'd be back in Office.

His return would boost her moral so much; she hadn't realized how empty she felt and how much she'd depended on him.

She didn't care where he was as long as he was back in her arms soon.

But before he came home, there would be a new member of their family joining them.

August Stephanos would be arriving from Greece to his possible father's residence, she hadn't made contact with him as August had to deal with the burial of his mother and settling her estate but as soon as he could, he would be arriving and her nerves were growing every second.

"Ma'am," Margaret called "Mike just called, their coming through the gate right now"

"Thank you Margaret" Jennifer suddenly felt like a kid on her first date, she made sure her hair and skirt were smooth and that the room was straightened up

"Charlie, can you call Hannah and tell her to bring down Sophie and Tess"

"Of course Ma'am"

The minutes seemed to crawl by and suddenly she could hear a crush of whispers outside the Oval.

She couldn't take it anymore and stepped out into the Office and came face to face with what Jonathan Charles Hart must have looked like at 15, the same face, eyes, the dimple, even his widow's peak was identical.

"Jonathan" She whispered

"No Ma'am, August" He even sounded like Jonathan,

No DNA test needed.

"I'm sorry, Welcome to Washington" She spoke as if he didn't understand a word she was saying

"Ma'am I may have been born in Greece but I was educated in Chicago" August smiled

And she resisted every urge she had to scream "Please I know you're not my husband but just hug me"

"I'm sorry, I just can't get over how much you resemble my husband" She shook her head

"Speaking of your husband, is it possible we could see him soon, I've heard my mother speak so much of him and I'll like to get to know my father before I return to Greece"

"You're not going to be staying indefinitely with us?" She had to admit, She was disappointed, maybe she was that lonely

"My country needs a strong leader now that my mother is gone and I need to go back to ensure it continues to thrive"

"Yes, your mother.. I was so sorry to hear of her demise"

"Thank you"

They were interrupted by a baby crying

"Excuse me" Jennifer got up and let Hannah in with the girls, who looked like she was at her wit's end

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but Sophie's beginning to have a tooth poke through and nothing seems to console her"

"It's alright, Come here Sophie Girl," Jennifer took her which only made Sophie scream harder

"Can I try" August said and took the baby, he pulled something out of his bag and rubbed on her gums, instantly she settled down and smiled

"Wow, what did you give her?" Jennifer was impressed

"Old Grecian recipe" August smiled and Jennifer felt her heart move.

"Mrs. Hart, We have the car ready" Mike came in and stopped short seeing at the carbon copy of Jonathan Hart "Whoa"

"Mike, this is August" Jennifer introduced her Agent to August

"Nice to meet you" August had obviously been trained well in manners, a clear trait of Jonathan Hart.

After Mike recovered, They were soon on their way to the Hospital, it must have been a sight, The new President, her twin daughters, the possible illegimate son of the former President and the British Nanny plus three agents.

After they arrived at the Hospital, Jennifer went into Jonathan's room first to speak to him first, he was medicated and asleep, He suddenly looked as if he'd aged twenty years.

"Don't think about it" He said as if he could read her mind with his eyes closed

"Think about what?" She wiped her face, she didn't realize she'd been crying.

"I promise I'm going to walk the hell out of here, go back to the residence and make love to you like we did before we came to Washington"

"I know you will" She didn't care about that as long as he was able to walk, that's all that mattered

"In the meantime, why don't you crawl into bed with Daddy" he smiled through his closed eyes

"Speaking of Daddy, There's some people here who'd like to see you" Jennifer stood up but not before his arm suddenly shot out and pulled her forward.

"We can't, not here" She whispered although that the moment she didn't care if the entire ICU came in, she was thrilled that he was beginning to feel like himself.

"We've never had any problem doing it in a public place, Remember the Magic Kingdom?"

"Oh yeah" She remembered how they were walking through Cinderella's castle and He'd suddenly grabbed her, looking around, he dragged her to the top of the castle, nearly out of sight but definitely not out of sound and that he was so eager to make her scream that he ripped her bra and was fumbling with her panties when two of Cinderella's guards caught them and as they were struggling to get dressed, Cinderella herself came to the castle and personally yelled at them.

"Ma'am?" Mike poked his head into the hospital but backed off when he saw Jennifer on top of Jonathan "I'm sorry but Hannah says that the girls are getting fussier"

"Alright Mike, send them in" Jennifer reluctantly climbed off of Jonathan and went to the door to help Hannah, who was struggling with both babies, She took Tess and the others followed behind, what she wasn't ready for was how emotional Jonathan would get seeing his daughters "Darling, are you alright?"

"I can't believe how big they've gotten" He was angry at himself for missing so much of their baby days

"They've missed you too, please don't be upset" She brought the babies over to the bed and sat them on the edge just out of the reach of the IVs they could possibly pull out with their little hands

"Darling, there's someone else who's here to see you"

"Who's that" He studied his babies faces, they had more hair than he remembered and he didn't realize that even though they were so young, they would begin to get taller and how mobile they'd become

August came in and stood quietly in front of the man he'd envisioned his entire life, the very man his mother had set the standards for raising him and for him to idolize. Everything He knew about being a man was because of Jonathan Hart.

"Hi Dad" August smiled

"Darling, this is your son" Jennifer said

THE END

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